hoffman



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. D.'HOPIE'MAN.

FEATHER SPLITTING AND GRINDING MACHINE. No. 279,386. Patented June12,1883.

\M H i v a;

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. D. HOFFMAN.

H FEATHER SFLITTING AND GRINDING MACHINE No. 279,386.

Patented June 12,1883.

INVEN'TCIFKQ.

N. PETERS. mwuim n m. wmimon, oc.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. D. HOFFMAN.

FEATHER SPLITTING AND GRINDING MACHINE.

No. 279,386. Patented June 12, 1883.

@ 2/ MJQWMM a iamziw 4 W (MK/g & 7 Y 42 N. PETERS, PhaQn-Ulhogrlplle'.Wahington. n. c,

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUSTIN D. HOFFMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONALFEATHER DUSTER COMPANY, .OF SAME PLACE.

FEATHER SPLITTINGYAND GRINDING MACHINE.

A SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 279,386. dated June12, 1883.

' Application filed December 15 I562. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN D. HOFFMAN, of Chicago, in the'county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful,

Improvements in Machines for Splitting Feathers and in Combined Machinesfor Splitting and Grinding Feathers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, referencebeing had to 1 the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. i

This invention relates to improvements in devices forsplitting feathersin the manufacture of feather-dusters.

It also relates to the combination of a feathersplitting machine withmechanism for grinding out the pith of the feather-shaft after thesplittinghas been accomplished. The mechanism for splitting thefeather-shaft is of that kind which embraces a stationary knife andfeeding devices by which the feather is carried through the machine insuch relation to the knife as to cause the latter to cut away the 2inner portion of the shaft close to the plume.

The improvements herein described and claimed, and relating especiallyto the splitting mechanism, have for their object to provide such aconstruction in this class of ma- 0 chines as will adapt them to workmore perfectly, reliably,and expeditiously.- The grinding mechanism isin itself generally of the ordinary construction, consisting of anabradin g or grinding-roller, arranged in {opposition to 3 asupporting-roller, and combined with feeding-rollers,which controlthemovement of the feather in its passage beneath the grindingsurface.

The improvements relating to the combina- 0 tion of the splitting withthe grinding mechanism have for their object to direct the featherssuccessively tothe grinding devices after being split and in properposition to enter the feed-rollers, so that the exposed pith or cut 5surface of the shaft will be subject to the grinding-surface, while theuncut surface of the shaft will be brought to bear upon thesupportingroller of the grinding mechanism.

The invention consists in the several matters hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machineembracing both 'a splitting anda grinding apparatus. Fig. 2

is a vertical section through no aof Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a top orplan view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through war ofFig. 2.

A is a bench, base, or frame, 011 which the combined machine rests. A Aare the parallel end plates or uprights of the frame of that portion ofthe machine which contains the grinding mechanism. A are the parallelend plates or uprights of that portion of the ma chine which containsthe splitting mechanism. Said end plates are connected by suitablecrosspieces to give rigidity to the frame, and the various rollers aremounted on parallel axes between their planes.

The general arrangement of the several operating devices will be bestseen by reference to the sectional View, Fig. 2, in which B is the shaft:of the grimling-drum B and C" is a roller opposed thereto, beingvertically adjustable by .means of sliding journal-boXes, which rest onadj listing-screws c. O and C are the shafts of the feed-rolls C and C,which carry the feath .ers inward to the grimling-drum, the upper ofsaid shafts being vertically adjustable by heby adjusting-screws 0", oneat each end of the roller.

H is the splitting-knife, secured in a horiyontal position to theuprights A. Beneath the edge of said knife is situated a conical ortapering friction-roller, I, intended to support the feather in properposition to be suitably split. This conical roller is mounted by its endspindles in the upper ends of the arms I, which are pivoted at theirlower ends to the levers I", in turn pivoted to the frame at 1' andadjustable at their outer ends by means of the thumbscrews i, arrangedto bear on a subjacent stationary part, a, of the machine. Between itsends each of the arms Iis also pivotally connected with an arm, I, whichis provided at its outer end with a set-screw, I, entering the armthrough a slot, i", in the frame, and by which the arm is held fixed inany desired position. By means of the above connections of the roller I,said roller may be adjusted in any direction, so as to be broughtexactly beneath the knife-edge, however much said edge may be groundaway from use, and so as to vary the depth of cut as may be deingmounted in the pivoted arms 0, controlled sired-that is to say,adjustable by means of the lever I and screw 17, and is laterallyadjustable by means of the arms I and set-screw I.

D and D are the lower shafts of two pairs of feed-rollers mounted bysuitable spindles in the plates A, and arranged one in front and theother at the rear of the knife H. The shafts I and F of the opposingupper feedrollers are mounted in. yokes F one yoke above each endframe-plate A. Said yokes are rigidly connected with. each other by thecentral rod, it, and are held in positionby pins F, which rise fromprojections a. of the frame A, and pass through apertures in the feet fof said yoke's. Automatic vertical adjustment and variable pressure ofthe rollers mounted in said. yokes is obtained by means of the nuts F,threaded on the upper ends of the pins F", and the coiled expandingsprings j, interposed between said nuts and. the feet f of the yokes. Aspring-presser, Ii, is--arranged over and extending a little in front ofthe knife-edge, being secured at its ends to the yokes by s )ring-armsh. This presser serves to bear the feather downward upon the conicalroller.

G is a feed-table arranged in position to direct the feather between.the front feed-rollers, D and F and, if desired, a similar table may beplaced beneath the knife toiassist in directing the end of thefeather-shaft between the rear feed-rollers, though in practice this isnot found necessary. Both pairs of feed-rollersthat is to say, the pairD F and the pair D F are of course .driven to. carry the featherrearward against and beyond the knife The rear pair of these rollers isalso caused to run at a little higher speed than the front pair, for thepurpose of drawing the feather taut and preventing it from buckling ordoubling up in front of the knife.

J is a smooth-sin-faced sheet-metal plate bent and arranged in theposition shown, i11- tended to support the outer or unplumed end of thefeather-shaft and to direct the feather tip first to the feed-rollers 0*O of the grinding mechanism.

L is a plate against which the tip of the feather falls in its descent,after passing the splitting mechanism, and which co-operates with theplate J in directing the feather to the grinding devices.

It has been above stated that the supportingroller I is conical. Thisfeature is best shown in Fig. 4. The object of this construction. of theroller I is to enable the machine to split the tapering shaft of thefeather ab out centrally, or close to the plume, throughout itslengthor. throughout the greater part of its length. This is accomplished byinserting the feather 0b liquely, as indicated inFig. 3. The cylinder orbase of the feather-shaft is inserted foremost and over the smaller endof the roller I, and as the feather advances the thinner parts of theshaft pass oveigthe larger parts of said roller. EX- perience readilyteaches the operator to so dithe roller I is vertically I rect thefeather that the latter will be cut or split in a line close andparallel to the plume throughout its length.

The combined splitting and grinding ma; chines as here organized aredriven. as follows, and as will be best seen by reference to Fig. 1: Onthe extended shaft lBof the grinding-drum are located a fixed and aloose pulley, 13, receiving the driving-belt T. A pinion, I), also 011the shaft B, meshes with a spurgear wheel, 0, on the shaft 0 of thelower feedroller, O and a pinion, c, thereon drives the opposing orupper feed-roller, C", by a pinion, c. On the shaft 0 is also fixed abelt-pulley which connects by a cross-belt, T, with the pulley l) on theshaft D of the splitting mechanism.

Each pair of feed-rollers of the splitting mechanism is provided withintermeshing deepcut vpinions (if and d f, and an idle-gear, E,communicates motion from the pinion d on the shaft D to the pinion d ofthe front pair of feed-rollers. A less number of teeth on the pinions dand f than are present on the pinions (Z and f produce the higher speedof the former, above referred to. The speeds of the splitting andgrinding mechanisms are suitably timed to co-operate, in order that thelatter may dispose of the feathers as fast as delivered thereto from thesplitter.

In the operation of the machine, the base of the shaft is forcedrearward and upward against or over the top of the plate J, and when thetip emerges from the rearmost feed-rollers the feather falls tipdownward and withits cut surface upward upon the plate 'J. The feather.slides downward in this position. on said plate, and is caught by therollers C and C" and carried forward between the grindingdrum B and itsopposing rollers O, and the exposed pith is removed as it advancesbeneath the grin dingdrum. The feather finally emerges and is conductedbetween the plates M and M to a receptacle provided to receive it.

I am aware that a grinding-roller and anopposing roller have beenarranged with a space of unequal width between them, for the purpose ofremoving a portion of the shaft of the feather and the pith at the sametime. By my machine, as before described, the feather is first split ina line parallel with the plume, in which operation atapered shaving istaken off, and the pith is then removed by the grindingroller. A muchmore perfect result is thereby obtained than by the device firstmentioned, for the reason. that the previously-split shaft of thefeather is flattened while in contact witlr the grinding-roller, thesurface of which is parallel. with its opposing roller, so that saidroller acts with equal effect in removing the pith throughout the entirelength of the shaft.

I make-n0 claim, broadly, to feeding-rollers located at the rear of theknife, as these, as well as front rollers, are very old in splitting andkindred machines. Nor doI claim, broadly, a supporting-roller beneaththeknife-edge, as this, too, is very old; but

I claim as my invention- '1. In a machine for splitting feathers, thecombination, with a stationary knife and with a roller for supportingthe feathers at the knifeedge, of two pairs of feed-rollers, located onepair in front and the other pairat the rear of the knife, and means fordriving both pairs, the rear rollers being driven at a higher speed thanthe front ones, substantially as described.

2. In a feather-splitting machine, the combination, with agrinding-roller, of a knife and a conical supporting-roller arranged toafford a space of unequal width between said roller and the knife-edge,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the knife and conical roller, arranged asdescribed, of a yielding presser, h, substantially as described.

4. 'Ihecombination, with the knife and roller for supporting the featherat the knife-edge, of arms I, carrying the roller, levers P, forvertically adjusting the roller, and means for laterallyadjusting theroller, substantially as de scribed.

5. The combination, with the knife and roller for supporting the featherat the knife-edge, of arms I, carrying the roller, arms I, pivotedthereto, and set-screws 1*, arranged and operating substantially asdescribed.v 6. The combination,with thestationary feeding-rollers D andD, of automatically-adjustable yokes F' and upper feed-rollers, F F,mounted in said ,yokcs, substantially as de scribed.

7. In combination with the stationary feedrollers, the yokes F thefeed-rollers mounted in said yokes, yielding presser devices for bear- 3ing the yokes downward, and means for adjusting the tension of thepresser devices, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the splitting and grinding mechanism, arranged,the former 40 above the latter, as shown, of the plate J, for guidingthe split feathers to the grinding mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

9. Ihe combination, with the splitting and grinding mechanism, arrangedas shown, of the curved plate J- and the plate L, for guiding the splitfeathers to the grinding mechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony that. I claim the foregoing as vmy invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

AUSTIN 1). HOFFMAN.

